Thursday, July 09, 2015

The world of house-hunters has become increasingly digital in Pakistan. Long gone are the days where people would hunt for properties via classified ads. or real estate agents. This era is all about being fast-paced.

Property-seekers are going online to assist themselves in making buying and renting decisions in Pakistan. It can be attributed to the increasing internet penetration in the country, which currently stands at 30 million internet users, 15 million smartphone users and 19.6 million, active social media users.

According to ‘We are Social’, a UK based agency, there was a 72 percent growth in active social media users since 2014. A 113 percent increase was observed in the number of active mobile social media users. As a result, more property seekers are using social media via mobile Internet to search for current real estate listings.

All this points to the changing profiles of house-hunters in Pakistan. Moreover, with the millennial generation entering the house-hunting phase, they want to be able to be to do so in the quickest way possible, i.e. social media.

Whether they are on their way to work and want to search for a house, or sit comfortable in a cafe, double-checking available properties whilst they wait for friends, they can do so easily through different social media platforms, especially Facebook.

Property portals in Pakistan are very well cognizant of these facts and have built maintained a proper brand presence on all social media platforms. For instance, Lamudi.pk Pakistan’s best real estate website extensively promotes its properties on Facebook.

It has 1.4 million likes globally and receives a huge number of customer enquiries about properties from both the local Pakistani clients as well as from overseas Pakistanis through its Facebook page. This trend of customer enquiries via social media channels vouches for the fact that more and more people are shifting online.

Lastly, with the launch of 3G and 4G mobile internet services and property-seekers being pressed for time, social media will fully trump traditional methods of finding properties in Pakistan.